a few more years shall roll

I just read this today from John Armstrong:

Please do not tell me that most Christians in the United States understand the idea of the church existing for, and serving, the kingdom of God in mission. Most of us are so immersed in going to church, giving our money to support pastor(s) and missionaries, and investing in all the endless programs that make up church life on Sunday, that we never seriously consider for a moment what Adolph von Harnack said about the church in the first two centuries after the resurrection. The famous historian wrote, more than a hundred years ago, that there can be no serious doubt that the missional actions of ordinary Christian believers were what eventually turned the Roman Empire upside down.

For the rest of the article . . .

I was speaking to my co-worker/boss a few days ago about my grandfather, who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and probably does not have long to live. She mentioned a prayer she had read from a Confederate soldier disabled in the Civil War that she thought I might find helpful. . . .

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do great things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for - but everything I had hoped for.
Almost, despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

An historical event last evening at my church . . . for the first time to the best of our knowledge, a sermon was preached in a foreign language and translated for the congregation. It was a beautiful testimony to the worldwide body of Christ, as we were exhorted and encouraged by someone who spoke powerfully, although in another tongue. I mentioned to the speaker and the translator later last night that hearing a sermon piece by piece as I waited for the translation allowed the content to soak in more deeply for me. Also, because the sermon was translated, they had to winnow it down to a much shorter version than their original, which meant that no words were wasted. I would not necessarily desire a translated sermon every week, but last night’s sermon, and the entire service was a taste of the life to come where every tribe, tongue, and nation will sing before the Lord.

I also had the thought as I was talking to some friends after the service that so often American pastors or workers go to preach to other nations and use translators (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), but what a privilege to have the nations come to us. And what a privilege to learn from our brothers.

And, yes, I did sing along with the doxology which was the benediction for the service.

So, in the ten minutes before I leave for choir practice, I thought I’d write a quick announcement.

Life as I know it is shortly going to change. I’ve been working for the past (almost) seven years at Penn, where I also spent four years as an undergraduate. In some ways, this campus feels like home. I enjoy my job, I appreciate my colleagues, and I have grown professionally here.

Yet, I’m leaving. I announced to my office co-workers on Friday that I’ll be starting a new position at my church in November. The official title is Missions Coordinator, and I’ll be working closely with the Missions Pastor both in communicating with our workers overseas and educating the congregation about work going on in Philadelphia and around the world. (there are a few other pieces to the job description–but for now, that will do). It’s an exciting opportunity, a huge challenge, and a complete change from my current work.

That’s the brief version. I’ll write more when I don’t have choir practice to run to!

I spoke as part of the short term on Sunday at a luncheon at Tenth. Here are some notes I wrote up from that talk. I’ve edited it for content on a public website, so sorry if areas are vague.

Last year, I was able to go on Tenth’s Journey of Grace to the Middle East with nearly fifty other members of Tenth. During that trip, I saw and learned so much about the nation we visited, I was able to meet and get to know believers, and I knew I wanted to return. But, I wasn’t really sure what to do with all of those things. I did know a few things: I knew that Tenth had made a commitment to focus on that area. I knew that we were part of a group of churches who are partnering with the American workers and the national believers, believing that we can accomplish more together than we can separately. I also knew that relationships were key to the partnership.

In many ways, the JOG prepared the way for this year’s trip. It allowed our brothers and sisters to know that we at Tenth cared for them, that we wanted to be with them, that we loved them. Relationships were developed during last year’s trip that helped make this year’s trip a “success.”

But, this year’s trip was also vastly different in scope and intent. Our team of fourteen learned a great deal and we are compelled to share what we have learned with Tenth. The team has a term that we became quite familiar with—greeting well. Greeting well was our assignment for this trip. Greeting well involved honoring the culture we entered, observing, listening, spending time, asking questions, but avoiding assumptions, coming into a completely different culture while recognizing our own American-ness. Before we can “do” anything, we have to enter into to a culture and greet the people well. We were really learning a new (for us) approach to missions.

So, going in, we didn’t know what to expect. We weren’t sure what the next day would hold. But, we asked God to help us, to teach us, to give us grace.

How did he answer our prayers? What did he teach us?

He used his Holy Spirit in our lives to change us, to open our eyes, to draw us to Christ. I am using a broad category to encompass what he did—He humbled us.

We were humbled:
 By our mistakes and misinterpretations within the culture. We didn’t always greet well, we were very American at times, and things went completely over our heads at other times. But, God was gracious and allowed us to learn from mistakes (our own and each other’s), so that perhaps by the end of the trip, we were making fewer.
 By learning our great need for grace. We learned that when we tried to make things happen (conversations, interactions), we were often unsuccessful. We had to learn to rely on God’s grace and to know that a good conversation was no more a result of our ability than a bad conversation a result of our inability.
 By our study of the Word. Each day, and sometimes twice a day, we were led to the Scriptures to learn about humility, life in community, grace. This allowed us the proper framework for our daily activities, and gave us immediate application as we went out into the streets.
 By the worship services, where we were conscious of the presence of the Holy Spirit as we worshipped with a multi-ethnic, multi-national church.
 By the faith of our brothers and sisters. We shared meals, nights out, sightseeing, etc with different members of the church and we were encouraged by them. Seeing them hold so tightly to their faith spurred us on in our own faith.
 By the attitudes of the American workers we spent time with. We saw them serving in a very behind the scenes way, putting others first, building relationships, confessing sin, asking for forgiveness. This humility guided us as we then interacted with each other and the people we met.
 By being part of the team. We saw God’s grace as we interacted with each other—we faced some major challenges from the start of our trip, but God used them to draw us to Him and to each other. It was encouraging for me to see the members of the team seek out ways to serve each other, to really keep an eye out for the other team members. We were given a glimpse of real life in the body of Christ.
 By the overwhelming hospitality and friendship of strangers. Certainly we want to be careful not to idolize a culture and to recognize that every culture is fallen, but we were taught by non-Christian strangers how to live hospitably in a more Biblical fashion, as they welcomed us into their homes, lives, and businesses. In coming back to the US, many of us are still wrestling with how to better integrate hospitality into our lives in Philadelphia, as well as how to deepen relationships we already have.
 By recognizing the importance of community and family. We tend to live individualistic lives as American Christians, seeing relationships on a 1 to 1 basis, rather than in the context of community. We could see the potential for Christianity, with the basis of community already in place. We know that we are called to live in community, so it was humbling to see others who do not know the Lord doing this well. But, we also recognized the difficulty that such a community-oriented culture could be for those who turn to the Lord and might be forced to leave that community. We could see the importance then of a strong Christian community for the believers, and also gained an understanding of how our relationship with them could encourage them that they remain part of the community of God.

What are some of the results of this “humbling”?
1.We see less of ourselves. We see more of others, and more of Christ.
2.We are put in a receiving position: learning from others, receiving hospitality, instruction, friendship, and a taste of the Lord’s work.
3. We are given a new perspective on the work of the kingdom as a partnership.
4. God is better able to work in our hearts. To let us see new pathways for service, either right where he has already placed us or where he might be moving us.
5. We want to maintain that attitude of humility as we work with the church there. We want to submit to our brothers in the Lord, so that we can grow and be a part of the Lord’s work.

Today is the release date for Andrew Peterson’s newest album The Far Country. I am hoping that my copies are waiting for me at home when I get there today. He wrote a few thoughts on the release. You can read lyrics and listen to clips here. Take my word for it, you want this album. And, if I have to buy you a copy to prove it, so be it. Buy your own here.

After a week of dealing with sickness and much mental and spiritual wrestling, it is good to be at peace. My blog has been neglected, perhaps because so much is happening in my life. I will try to unfold some of that over the next days and weeks.

Pictures

I tried to give some commentary, so you can follow along on the journey.

I’m having some difficulty readjusting to life here–America feels lonely to me.

I sent this email this morning to friends and family . . .

I’m at work, so trying to catch up on emails and a fairly heavy workload,
but I wanted to try to express in a small way how God answered the prayers
of you who were back here praying. His answers were in no way small. In
fact, they are above any expectations I (or anyone else on the team)
had. Our team of 14 truly functioned as a community. We had our devotions
from Colossians 3 and Philippians, and the Word became real as we lived out
our lives together. We learned together a great appreciation and respect
for the culture, and we are all changed. We learned that God is
doing an amazing work in that land and that the potential for the gospel
there is far above what we imagined. And, if others on the team are
anything like me, they are going through some serious withdrawal symptoms
right now (both from the place we visited and from each other).

I am still processing much of what happened, and it may be a little soon to
say, but I do think that some changes will be coming in my life. It was a
week of intense experiences and conversations, especially regarding the
relationship we as Christians in Philadelphia have with the work there and how that
can be built up. I think one of the biggest things we learned was what it
means to be in relationship, what it means to be part of the body of
Christ. We need the body of Christ, whether the members are in the US or
elsewhere. We need to learn from them, to be willing to put aside our own
agenda. I think we began that process on this trip, but we are now facing
the challenge of continuing it.

What a great weekend!
Friday evening, I spent time with my mom, dad, and sister in Carlisle. Abby recently moved into a new place with her friend, and has redecorated her room and bathroom with such artistic flair that I can’t believe we’re related. It was fun to get to stay overnight with her and catch up a bit. I also found a great pair of shoes to wear to the wedding I attended the next day. Mine are the pink, flowered heels in this pic:

Saturday. Since I was missing the Live8 Concert back home in Philly, I better have had a good excuse. I did. I got up early, had a leisurely breakfast with Abs at Panera, and hopped on 81 south to go to Charlottesville, VA. I love driving through the Shenendoah Valley—it’s really one of the most beautiful drives around. And with surprisingly little traffic, I was in C-ville in 3 and a half hours. I was there to attend the wedding of Sarah and Brandon. I first met Sarah nearly four years ago at an Andrew Peterson Christmas show in Lynchburg, VA. We’ve stayed in touch and it was wonderful to get to see her and Brandon begin their new life together. I will post some pictures on my picture site soon.

I ran a few errands, and waited for Dawn and Katey to arrive from North Carolina. They took a detour to Monticello, but found it harder to spot than expected. However, we did get this lovely picture of the three of us there after we changed for the wedding. We had a fun time, seeing friends from the internet (gasp!) and celebrating!

Up very early the next morning, I left Dawn and Katey and drove back to Philly. Again, no traffic at all, so a relatively quick trip. As you may have read, my car stereo was stolen a while ago and I decided to sing on my own. I was surprised by how many hymns I remembered! All four verses of some—five of Come Ye Sinners. It was a good way to pass the time Sunday morning, especially since I missed the morning service. I got to church at 10:30, in time for the beginning of our 5-6 hours meeting for our trip abroad. One of the workers over there is in the States for a while and spent the day with us, giving us a better sense of what we’ll be doing there. It made the whole trip very real—almost felt like we were on our way. And, in fact, it won’t be long now. We leave next Friday! After our meeting, we went upstairs to grab some leftover cheesesteaks, then headed to La Columbe for some coffee and more hang time (we’re getting good at this spending time together thing!). We stopped back at the park to sit for a few minutes, where I snapped the end of my roll of film from the wedding.

After evening service, I returned my friend Joyce’s cat carrier to her. She is my ever gracious friend, who lets me borrow the carrier on the rare occasion I actually take my cat to the vet! Then, a bunch of us the wandered the streets searching for sustenance. Actually, three of us got ice cream, and everyone else real food, and we reconvened in a circle at Rittenhouse Square. The night was gorgeous, and we just sat and chatted til about 10:15.

Monday, the fourth of July, was my All-American day. Seriously, it was the real deal. Sarah and I joined a bunch of friends for a BBQ at the guy’s house in Germantown, where we ate, and talked, and tossed football, and played street wiffle ball off their front porch. Classic. Then, we caravanned (is that a word?) over to another friend’s house, where we played about six volleyball games before jumping into the pool to cool off. Ate a quick dinner and rushed (seriously—we were like a secret service caravan of cars speeding through the suburbs to catch our train into the city) to the station. We made it to the Parkway by the Art Museum in time to catch the end of the parade (it was ok). At 8:30 the Celebrate Freedom concert began with Bryan Adams. He was followed by Rufus Wainwright, Patti LaBelle, and finally Elton John, who sang the longest version of Rocketman ever. Seriously, he ended the song four times. In general the concert was so-so, but the fun was being there with so many other people. We had fifteen in our group, but we added about 8-10 more throughout the night. Fireworks finally went off at 11pm and were a nice display—I’ve never been that close to the display at the Art Museum—usually I see if from the highway on my way home! We joined the hordes leaving the area, and got to the train station in time to get our train back. We didn’t have to pay either way—the train was too jammed for the conductors to get around. Sarah and I got home at about 12:45—a long day, but so enjoyable. Food, sports, friends, music, fireworks—a great 4th!

Last night, as I was sitting at a circular table crowded with 13 people eating Vietnamese pho at Nam Phuong in South Philadelphia, I realized how much I love food and people together. Really, there is hardly a better way to enjoy the company of a group than while eating food. Something happens when you gather around a table filled with even new and unusual foods that would never happen in a board room. When the 13th person arrived, we were short a chair, so four of us girls squeezed onto three chairs, and it was fine. We laughed, talked, and enjoyed each other. It was an unofficial team meeting for our group heading off three weeks from today, and as Jonathan said, “We’re going to be doing a lot of this, so get used to it.” Andrew was back from his trip to Japan, so he had us laughing with tales of electric baths and embarrassing subway rides.

I felt bad having to leave less than two hours after we arrived, but Kristi had a train to catch, and Tim wanted to watch the tipoff of the Spurs-Pistons game. I went home happy.

In my family, the eating portion of dinnertime goes by like a flash. In fact, I often think of all the time my mother would take to prepare a meal, and how quickly it would be in 7 stomachs. The ratio seems off. But, I love how we sit around the table for so long after dinner, with dessert and coffee, just chatting and laughing. I wish I could have done that last night, too. I think it’s good preparation for traveling again and ultimately, for the great banquet to come.

I returned from the Caribbean (more on that later, when I get the pictures) in time to participate in the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology at Tenth this weekend. As a member of the Tenth Choir, I get to go for free in exchange for singing Friday and Saturday nights. I do not think there is a better deal out there. I got to hear Alistair Begg for the first time in person. Who knew he could recite so many Paul Simon and John Lennon lyrics? I highly recommend his preaching, which you can hear on the radio and through his internet site. It was a Lennon weekend, since one of the other speakers, Peter Jones, grew up with John in Liverpool.

D.A. Carson spoke Saturday night, Sunday morning and evening, and if you have time, I strongly encourage you to listen to his Sunday morning sermon. It will break your heart and then give you the healing of the Cross.

Tenth’s Executive Minister has started a blog to keep us updated on Tenth news. He has some good posts on the PCRT weekend as well.

I also had time to help prepare and serve at a party for 25 people after the Friday night meeting. There, I was strongly taken to task for not buying some cigars while I was in the San Juan, Puerto Rico airport. Understandably so, although I am always afraid to buy things like cigars since I am not expert enough to know if I am making a good purchase (does that sound like a proper excuse?).

we sang this hymn of martin luther’s yesterday. it has become one of my favorites over the past few years.
our hymnal does not include the 2nd and 3rd verses, which add even greater depth to the text, explaining the necessity for the death of Christ.

1. Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands,
For our offenses given;
But now at God’s right hand He stands
And brings us life from heaven;
Therefore let us joyful be
And sing to God right thankfully
Loud songs of hallelujah!
Hallelujah!

2. No son of man could conquer Death,
Such mischief sin had wrought us,
For innocence dwelt not on earth,
And therefore Death had brought us
Into thraldom from of old
And ever grew more strong and bold
And kept us in his bondage. Hallelujah!

3. But Jesus Christ, God’s only Son,
To our low state descended,
The cause of Death He has undone,
His power forever ended,
Ruined all his right and claim
And left him nothing but the name,–
His sting is lost forever.
Hallelujah!

4. It was a strange and dreadful strife
When Life and Death contended;
The victory remained with Life,
The reign of Death was ended;
Holy Scripture plainly saith
That Death is swallowed up by Death,
His sting is lost forever.
Hallelujah!

5. Here the true Paschal Lamb we see,
Whom God so freely gave us;
He died on the accursed tree–
So strong His love!–to save us.
See, His blood doth mark our door;
Faith points to it, Death passes o’er,
And Satan cannot harm us.
Hallelujah!

6. So let us keep the festival
Whereto the Lord invites us;
Christ is himself the Joy of all,
The Sun that warms and lights us.
By His grace He doth impart
Eternal sunshine to the heart;
The night of sin is ended.
Hallelujah!

7. Then let us feast this Easter Day
On Christ, the Bread of heaven;
The Word of Grace hath purged away
The old and evil leaven.
Christ alone our souls will feed,
He is our meat and drink indeed;
Faith lives upon no other.
Hallelujah!

i recently watched the film Luther, and the line about Luther’s hymns being a reason the reformation spread unstoppably in Germany struck me. theology, the gospel distilled into verse–these hymns are treasures. i hope i never stop singing them!

“I, Doctor Martin Luther, wish all lovers of the unshackled art of music grace and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! I truly desire that all Christians would love and regard as worthy the lovely gift of music, which is a precious, worthy, and costly treasure given to mankind by God. The riches of music are so excellent and so precious that words fail me whenever I attempt to discuss and describe them…. In summa, next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits… Our dear fathers and prophets did not desire without reason that music be always used in the churches. Hence, we have so many songs and psalms. This precious gift has been given to man alone that he might thereby remind himself that God has created man for the express purpose of praising and extolling God. However, when man’s natural musical ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His product and His gift; we marvel when we hear music in which one voice sings a simple melody, while three, four, or five other voices play and trip lustily around the voice that sings its simple melody and adorn this simple melody wonderfully with artistic musical effects, thus reminding us of a heavenly dance, where all meet in a spirit of friendliness, caress and embrace. A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs.”

my morning routine was perhaps a bit different today, but that’s no excuse for forgetting to put on makeup, right? i went to the gym at 6am, and then decided to swing by the grocery store at 7am since we were out of milk and bread. so, yes, my routine was off by 15 minutes or so. but i completely forgot to put makeup on. i even remember thinking that was the next step of the day’s preparation, and then it completely slipped my mind. i remembered on the bus as i was looking at a picture of the oscar nominees for leading actress and realized how different they look in real life vs. on-screen.

in other news, i might be going on a trip again this summer! i need to decide soon, but i’ve been asked to consider going with a team of college and young career age folks from my church.

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, Whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

i’m not sure what caused it, whether it was the somewhat frustrating and hectic preparations for our church missions luncheon this sunday for my team or listening to the sounds from caedmon’s call’s new album Share the Well, but i have been reminded of my trip to Nepal back in 1999 and decided to scan in some of the old photos from my scrapbook.

In the song Sarala, there’s a verse that reminded so clearly of my time in Nepal:
Ricksha walla begs the question
Are all these red lights just suggestions
Oh, it’s gonna be OK
They know dead men can’t pay, Sarala

riding in tiny taxis through the streets of kathmandu was one of the more frightening, yet somehow exhilerating experiences of the trip. the sensory overload of a foreign culture always excites me. i remember this brightly colored, wonderful smelling market:

and, in the village we visited, the after church fellowship meal for which preparations began in the morning with the slaughter and butchering of a goat.

In my wednesday morning prayer and theology group, we’ve been discussing the deity of Christ the past few weeks. This morning, while touching on the mystery of the incarnation, my pastor made a comment about the continual unfolding of the mystery of God even in heaven that got me thinking.

So often, people talk about getting to heaven and asking God all their questions, finally knowing all the answers, or seeing the big picture. (See Chris Rice’s “Questions for Heaven”)

But part of the wonder of heaven is that God will still be God. And although we will be perfected, we will not become God. I do think we’ll see more clearly and understand things we never thought we would, but understanding all the mysteries of God? That seems impossible. Maybe we’ll know all we need to know at each given moment (if time exists in heaven), but God will continue to reveal Himself to us over eternity. Since He himself is eternal, it will take that long.

Go buy your copies now from Andy’s newly redesigned website! I promise that this will be your favorite Christmas album (OK, OK, I’ll allow that Handel’s Messiah is pretty good too!)

Also, tickets should go are on sale soon now for the Christmas show at the Ryman. (615) 889-3060

I’m feeling better already.

caleb is the son of a friend who was a few years ahead of me in school. i heard from my sister two weeks ago that he was preparing to undergo major surgery because he had been diagnosed with cancer. the surgery to remove the tumor was successful and the pathology report looks positive, but he’s still undergoing chemo and radiation.
he’s only three, but from all reports has shown remarkable courage through this difficult few weeks.

i cannot begin to imagine what something like this must be like for his parents, jason and whitney. to see your child go through pain must be one of the most difficult experiences a parent can have. their response has been incredible–i am overwhelmed to see what grace they have been given to deal with this.

some of their friends set up a little website for all who are praying to follow his progress.
Caleb’s website

i was reminded of andrew peterson’s song which he wrote when his good friend was preparing to undergo brain surgery and the chances for survival did not look good.

Faith to Be Strong

Give us faith to be strong
Father, we are so weak
Our bodies are fragile and weary
And as we stagger and stumble
To walk where you lead
Give us faith to be strong

CHORUS:
Give us faith to be strong
Give us strength to be faithful
‘Cause life is not long but it’s hard
Give us grace to go on
Make us willing and able
Lord, give us faith to be strong

Give us peace when we’re torn
Mend us up when we break
This flesh can be wounded and shaky
When there’s much too much travel
For one heart to take
Give us peace when we’re torn

Give us hearts to find hope
Father, we cannot see
How the sorrow we feel can bring freedom
And as hard we try
Lord it’s hard to believe
So give us hearts to find hope

Give us peace when we’re torn
Give us faith, faith to be strong

i’m getting behind on this blogging stuff already. this week has been a bit crazy for me . . . but i’ll start where i left off last week. patty griffin was amazing–she only played a few songs to a big crowd inthe border’s store, but she is just captivating. i could listen to her sing for hours. days even. weeks maybe. she stayed afterwards to greet and sign, i got a good picture but the scanner is giving me trouble so i can’t post it yet.

then, the conference at church. amazing. we went from the depth of our sin–the great need we have for forgiveness to the means of our forgiveness to the response to that forgiveness in our relationships with others.

seriously, if you have time, listen to the sunday services that Sinclair Ferguson preached to wrap up the weekend. i think at least the sunday morning one is up already. in the evening service, his opening example was of the muckraker who christiana (yes that’s where my parents got my name) came across in her travels in the second book of Pilgrim’s Progress. She and her four sons are at the house of the interpreter, where they are shown to various rooms inhabited by different characters. In one room is a man raking filth, over and over again, so intent on his awful work that he does not notice the one who holds a golden crown over his head in free exchange for his muckrake. christiana’s response is “o, deliver me from the muckrake!” dr. ferguson went on to expound on the first eleven verses of romans 5–his main point was that we do not realize the crown of glory that we have right now. that we have a true hope–not one that will shame us. one that christ died to give us, one that cannot be taken away, one that shapes the way we live now.

this week’s plumbing problems in my kitchen and my dentist appointment are small in comparison to the grace given to me in the death of Christ.

patty griffin does, at least. i’m starting my weekend early tonight by going to see patty perform an in store show at border’s downtown. her new album just came out, so she’s supposed to be playing songs in support of that. i’ve seen her perform before and she blows me away, so i’m interested to see her in a smaller venue, with a few less frills.
i’ll post my thoughts tomorrow or next week . . .

the rest of the weekend is full up, as well. my church is hosting its annual Philadelphia Conference on Reformation Theology. The topic this year is Forgiveness and the speakers include Jerry Bridges, Sinclair Ferguson, Michael Horton, Rick Phillips, and Philip Ryken. As part of the church choir, I get to go for free because we participate in the music Friday night, and do a sacred concert Saturday night before the evening session. I’ve gone to these conferences fairly regularly since college (with a break while I lived in NC), and have always been incredibly blessed. It’s always a time of rich teaching, warm fellowship, and great hymn singing. My first conference back in 1992, I think, included JI Packer and John Gerstner (who was fine until his last sermon on the “50 reasons why I am a Calvinist”–that is up there as perhaps the worst thing to pass for a sermon in Tenth’s pulpit that I ever heard).

And, I just realized that I switched from no caps to proper capitilization somewhere in the midst of that post . . . my English teacher ways are popping out all over.